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New CJA Plan Memo

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

MIDDLE DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA

January 1, 2014

FROM : Panel Selection Committee

SUBJECT: New CJA Plan

TO: CJA Panel Attorneys

As some of you may already know, the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina recently adopted a new Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Plan, a copy of which is attached. The new CJA Plan, which is based largely on the Model CJA Plan adopted by the Administrative Office of United States Courts, replaces our 1993 CJA Plan, and incorporates a number of updates and changes. Many of those updates and changes involve the CJA Panel.

The new CJA Plan revises and clarifies the application, appointment and membership requirements for the CJA Panel and, most notably, provides for reconstitution of the CJA Panel and the adoption of three-year terms of membership. The new CJA Plan establishes a Panel Selection Committee charged with responsibility for reviewing applications, recommending to the Court those applicants best qualified for appointment to the CJA Panel and making other recommendations to the Court regarding management of the CJA Panel. The Honorable Thomas D. Schroeder, United States District Judge, chairs the Panel Selection Committee, and is joined by the Honorable L. Patrick Auld, United States Magistrate Judge, Ms. Lisa S. Costner, the CJA Panel Representative, Mr. Duane K. Bryant of the CJA Panel and Mr. Eric D. Placke of the Office of the Federal Public Defender. The Panel Selection Committee will work diligently throughout 2014 to make implementation of the new CJA Plan as seamless and transparent as possible. In that regard, we write now to give you a brief overview of the coming year.

First and foremost, the new CJA Plan adopts the current CJA Panel, subject to reconstitution, and every attorney who is currently a member will remain so throughout 2014. The Panel Selection Committee anticipates announcing the application process on March 1, 2014, accepting applications during May 2014, and announcing the new CJA Panel, as approved by the Court, on October 1, 2014. Appointments to the newly reconstituted CJA Panel will be effective January 1, 2015.